Please Need Same Article Review HBR Article related to Strategy and Leadership

Paper Outline

A. Executive Summary. Provide a summary and identify the problem, trends, updates discussed in the given article.

B. The need for the study in the article. Justify why such article is appropriate to the Strategy and leadership field.

C. Students critique on the article. Identify minimum of four substantial critiques on article.

D. Summary and Recommendations. Provide your summary and recommend in bullet form in accordance to the substantial critiques.

Overview

The following analysis is based on the article, The Secrets to Successful Strategy Implementation written by the strategy and leadership specialists Gary L. Neilson, Karla L. Martin, and Elizabeth Powers.

The authors propose clarity in decision-making and an unhindered flow of information across the organizational boundaries to ensure effective implementation of the strategy. The authors' decades of expertise as Booz & Company consultants and survey data collected from more than 125,000 employees of 1,000 firms in more than 50 countries in almost five years is taken as a basis for the suggestions and theories made in the paper (Neilson, Martin, & Powers, 2008).

Importance of the article in strategy and leadership

According to Kraaijenbrink (2021), the rate of strategy execution success is extremely low. Scientific studies have indicated failure percentages ranging from 7% to 90%, with an average of around 50%. Data reflect that most of the strategies fail at their implementation stage. As a result, managers and executives struggle with strategy implementation across the world.

In the quest to tackle this issue, the authors in this article offer common traits and straightforward solutions to the effective implementation of the strategy. These solutions are based on five years of research across a range of companies and business executives.

This article develops a perspective to analyze the implementation challenge and adopt a holistic approach towards strategy implementation.

Analysis

Strengths of the article

The execution of plans and strategies to achieve the organization's long-term goals is strategy implementation. It translates the chosen strategy into the organization's motions and actions to achieve the goals (Verweire, 2019).

The implementation or execution of strategy, however, is frequently overlooked, with unpredictable results. Problems with strategy implementation are commonly caused by a failure to implement it successfully rather than by defects in the plan itself. Such losses can mean that strategic activities are only partially effective, irritating because the anticipated strategic benefits are not realized. They can eventually lead to the deterioration or even failure of the company as a whole.

To eliminate the barriers to effective strategy implementation, most organizations view the structural changes as the first resort, which in the opinion of the authors, are obvious as the changes are instantly visible. However, the authors deem this step ineffective without defining the decision powers and improving the flow of information (Neilson, Martin, & Powers, 2008).

For executing a strategy effectively, the employees should be clear about the decisions and actions they are responsible for. It allows accurate information to reach the top management and across the organizational boundaries. On the contrary, they suggest that businesses view structural changes as the capstone of organizational transformation rather than the cornerstone.

The authors pointed out common reasons for strategy implementation failure with the example of a global consumer-packaged-goods company. These were: lack of clarity of roles and responsibilities, lack of coordination between rewards and performance, and complex reporting and communication processes.

These reasons for implementation failures have rightly been identified and addressed in the research.

One of the most common reasons companies fail to implement strategy successfully is ambiguity in roles and responsibilities. When employees are not clear about their roles and responsibilities, it leads to organizational politics and even slows down the company's progress. A lack of distinct duties might cause an ineffective working environment. Because no one person is responsible for finishing a task, they can also foster a corrosive "finger pointing" culture. Because it is unclear who 'dropped the ball,' employees will pass the blame (Bowling, et al. 2017).

Another factor in effective implementation in the article is the quick and uncontrolled reach of important information to a company's top management or decision-makers. The top management can make successful strategic decisions only when they are available with the right information at the right time.

Therefore, the authors' viewpoint as a crucial element of successful strategy implementation is justified.

Filtering and delay in information transmission, over-analyzing of issues, and second-guessing at the lower levels, these problems occurred in Caterpillar when the top management hoarded decision-powers. Hence, the authors suggest that the best method to ensure that the correct information reached headquarters was to ensure that managers made the correct decisions further down the chain of command (Neilson, Martin, & Powers, 2008).

Limitations of the article

The article sheds light on the traits an organization possesses for effective implementation. However, strategy implementation is a more complex and diverse phenomenon. Thus, it needs to be addressed in multifaceted dimensions. However, the research provides a single direction to address the strategy implementation challenges.

The procedure is typically clumsy, unclear, and includes multiple divisions inside the business. The social and political dimensions of strategy execution, which the leaders must consider, contribute to the complexity. Personality clashes, politics, communication issues, and power and leadership challenges are just a few roadblocks that can derail an implementation effort.

According to Tytri, et al. (2018), the success of strategy implementation depends on alignment, mindset, and capability. If people cannot understand the company strategy and realize its importance for organizational success, they will not fully commit to the implementation. They will be unable to recognize the right actions.

On the other hand, the authors left out mindset, another critical component of strategy implementation that needs to be developed in employees and middle management. Without the belief that the strategy is right for the organization, the employees will not overcome the barriers and get the desired outcome. Mindset refers to the emotional commitment to the strategy.

The implementation of a strategy is a sequence of coordinated, enterprise-wide choices and actions that take place over a period of time. It may begin at the top of a company, but it must flow down and engage the entire business, from the top management to the front lines, to produce results. Strategy implementation cannot be presumed as a process overhaul or mechanical recipe for efficiency.

According to Rommin Adi (2015), a research survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Trust revealed that firms must look beyond activities that develop alignment to enable exceptional plan implementation. Traditional strategy communication and "push" tactics, such as group meetings and leadership presentations, are insufficient to achieve the best results. A holistic approach to enabling practice, facilitating skill development, and immersing leaders in the plan is key to achieving greater impact. Employee enthusiasm and urgency will follow if essential talents are developed first, and alignment will be a lot easier to achieve.

Another perspective missing in the article 'The Secrets to Successful Strategy Implementation, is the leadership capabilities essential for successfully implementing the strategy. In the paper, the authors are of the idea to distribute decision powers at different layers of management. However, that cannot deliver the needed results in the absence of leadership capabilities.

Senior leadership's perceived competency is a key motivator for an organization's trust and ability to accurately execute strategic projects. According to the research, companies with better leaders are more important in transmitting and incorporating strategy down into the business. Still, some leadership acts and behaviors are more critical to success.

Market-leading organizations understand the relative focus on leadership aptitude, have committed more to management talent development, and as a consequence, are less hampered by skill shortages. Only 16% of top-performing company executives are concerned about superiors' capacity to execute, while 32% of unsuccessful company executives are concerned about execution capabilities. Not only do top-performing firms have stronger leaders, but they also excel at certain leadership acts and behaviors (Rommin Adi, 2015).

Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on extensive research and surveys, the authors of 'The Secrets to Successful Strategy Implementation' have listed seventeen common traits found in the organizations that successfully implemented strategies and reaped benefits. Among these traits, the article evaluates two of the most common attributes- clarity of decision-making and quick and accurate transmission of information to the decision-makers.

Managers in charge of strategy execution face an ongoing problem in achieving successful implementation. Organizational strategy implementation is a diverse and very complicated phenomenon. As a result, there is a growing realization that the most significant strategic management issues are in strategy implementation rather than strategy formulation. However, this must be multifaceted and must include the key drivers of strategy execution, namely, alignment, mindset, and capabilities.

Following are some recommendations that need to be included in further research on the topic:

• Capabilities that need to be developed in the leaders.
• Role of alignment, mindset, and capabilities in successful strategy implementation
• Development of leadership aptitude at different management levels (Cote, 2017).

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Required Question

Please Need Same Article Review HBR Article related to Strategy and Leadership

Paper Outline

A. Executive Summary. Provide a summary and identify the problem, trends, updates discussed in the given article.

B. The need for the study in the article. Justify why such article is appropriate to the Strategy and leadership field.

C. Students critique on the article. Identify minimum of four substantial critiques on article.

D. Summary and Recommendations. Provide your summary and recommend in bullet form in accordance to the substantial critiques.